I have been holding my tongue about this but since it seems to be going on forever, I just want to say I am very disappointed. These are not wearable items for me, and no matter how expensive you dress them up, they are still far to casual.

The jeans have rips. One of the shirts looks faded. Is that what Vivienne wears/wore? Is that what her take on everyday elegance is?

I started following this blog because of the brilliant ideas and have been trying to incorporate them into my wardrobe. And no, I do not expect to love everything I see here and haven't – but have seen a pattern of dress that even if the pieces were not what I would chose, the IDEA of the ensemble made since.

This series has gotten tedious. Janice, how old are you? Do you really dress this way?

Well, The Vivienne Files were a good resource for a while there, and I am grateful for what I learned but I am signing off for good. This direction is common and obvious. Everyone wears these sort of clothes and there are thousands of other blogs that show much the same.

You made a good decision to leave. The rest of us will continue to enjoy this blog without the negativity. People who create their blogs out of goodwill and endow them with their spirit and enthusiasm do not need people who are cranky and unappreciative.

I don't dress this way either (most days — maybe on weekends and on vacation) BUT what I take away from these postings is that ANY well-chosen ensemble of clothing can gain a totally different "personality" just those the use of well-edited accessories. Oh, yes, I have the accessories to go with my neutral clothing, but I never would have thought that I could jazz up my plain ol' black pants and turtleneck, for example, with hot pink hi-tops to go out, say, gallery hopping. Love what you are doing, Janice, and keep on helping us to open our eyes to creating an affordable and flexible sense of style

Lindy,You sincerely believe you've been victimized by this series! You've said you're gone for good, but just in case you pop in–and I am trying to say this gently–consider a mental health evaluation. I realize the internet invites your sort of overreaction, and that quick replies don't lend themselves to nuance. Still, someone who was half as wounded as you seem to be, and half as insulting in response, would not be a well woman. Your hostility may not be commented on in the real world, but I doubt it is going unnoticed.Take care of yourself.Marge

Dear me, how very rude. Just leave the room quietly or learn to express your feeling in a less hurtful manner. The truth is, I LOVE this blog AND this series. As wiser ones than I have mentioned, sub out the basics for your own take- wool slacks, cashmere whatever…it is the principle of the thing. Janice, you are the BEST. Stick with the rest of us, please.

I love this series! So far none were really wearable for me except the silver but this one I love, love, love! I do have most of the basics, altho my jeans are dark wash, no rips. I AM a woman of a certain age, and I do not see this series as being just for a young crowd. As someone said in a reply on one of the prior Common Wardrobe posts, she realized she could replace the khakis with good camel wool pants (or something like that, sorry didn't go back and get the exact quote). To me the whole idea is punching up basics. Now, a question…the scarves are noted as Hermes but surely the solid pink is not Hermes?

I've been greatly enjoying the creation of different looks from the same simple core wardrobe, even though every iteration may not exactly be my own cup of tea. As you've often mentioned, one need not follow these suggestions slavishly in order to glean ideas from the concepts. I can't wear light colored slacks, nor do I choose to (purposely) wear ripped jeans, but I do often wear dark colored jeans & black slacks, and have basic tops like these. I love seeing how to reflect your individual personality solely through accessories. That is exactly the French way of to approach personal fashion! As for me, I'd like to see a few more.

I love these Janice, thank you so much for the range you are providing – I always look smart for work (you are helping me look more polished) & I look dressy when I get the chance to go somewhere dressy (and you help me strive to look more interesting) – it is in my casual wear that I need updating and finishing – God bless you! Please continue the series – those of us not born knowing how to pull it all together really appreciate your sharing 🙂Jen

NOT TIRED OF THE COMMON WARDROBE SERIES AT ALL !! Please, please keep going…so, so interesting even if I might not choose to wear some pieces myself 🙂

To the unhappy comment-er above: Does everything have to be literal to have value?

Substitute the items you personally consider to be special or "uncommon" for the ones you dislike here and you will find use for the series. It's like reading the Harpers Bazaar Style at Any Age series. Pick from any of those ages and come up with something awesome…You don't have to be 20 or 40 or 70 for that matter. Being rigid and inflexible about style tends to lead to a stale wardrobe IMO.

Well said! It is impossible to come up with a common wardrobe that is all things to all people. The pieces may be completely wrong for your body type, or for your lifestyle, or for your age. So you take the IDEA and apply it to your particular needs. Maybe instead of distressed jeans and khakis, you mentally substitute pristine dark-wash trouser jeans and camel flannel trousers. The concept is the same!

I feel some people have zero imagination, and for them it probably is better to find a fashion blogger who has the exact same body type and taste as them so that they can just copy the exact look. For the rest of us, we can apply the ideas to our own wardrobe.

This is a wonderful, informative series, so please carry on. Purple and burgundy would be nice. Perhaps with an outdoorsy, “She owns an RV, camps frequently in a tent with her dogs, hikes and canoes constantly and has climbed Denali” spin?

I wasn't planning to comment again on this series since I just did on the romantic set. However, after reading the comments, I just had to respond again – I have learned a lot from this series. The principles can be applied to a casual wardrobe like pictured above, but they can also be applied to a dressier wardrobe that includes jackets, skirts and slacks. All the many different colors help one see how that simple change can make such a difference. There are so many of us that do appreciate all we have learned from your post. Taking one concept and working it in several different colors makes it even more beneficial. A BIG thanks from me. (And I look forward to seeing more examples in other colors).

Janice, Please keep this going – it is totally fantastic and for some reason I gasped at what the pink looked like with these outfits – it just transforms it! I almost went to bed last night just so I could wake up and look at what you offered! and with the thought we NEED to have this work saved somehow to share – what are modern galleries doing to keep this amazing and painstaking work. I don't know about anyone else but this IS ART – taking the everyday and transforming it insto something surprising and brilliant! And I was in a store in Brisbane Australia last week trying on some things and the women in the shop all just went – you have to get onto the vivienne files to see how to make this work!

I too am loving this series. I've worked to create my own common wardrobe based on reading and re-reading the not so crazy eights and four by four posts, but this is the layer I need to work on next. Please conitue as my eye is still developing. Seeing how you combine the accessories so artfully to create a curated set that build on the individualism of the wearer is an outstanding lesson. I'm not distracted by a pair of jeans with holes! Thank you for all of the hard work you put into this blog. You really have transformed how I feel about getting dressed.Jen

I am enjoying it and would love it to continue. And not because I wear faded shirts or jeans with holes. All I see going on here is how to do more with less, to the benefit of my budget and the environment.

I have enjoyed this series and the iterations thus far have proven the point that taking the basics and mixing up the accessories creates multiples moods and looks. I took a lot from the series, but I feel it's okay to move on, too. I would love some posts on how to do the hot colors of this fall season, particularly the green that's everywhere or deep reds or burgundies. Either way, love this site and am a diehard fan! Not every post is for every one and that's really one of the things I appreciate about The Vivienne Files. It's not the same style or mood over and over again, but a great diversity of fashion to enjoy!

In my opinion, this is one of the BEST series you have done. I am enjoying it immensely. Even though I don't wear aged jeans, I understood I could substitute the jeans that I DO wear. Even though I don't have blue eyes, I understand I could accentuate my OWN eye color.

In fact, this has been one of the MOST USEFUL of ALL of your series for me. PLEASE continue it with other variations.

Please Please Please continue this series! I am a new reader of your blog and I love everything you have shown. That is not the same thing as saying I can/will wear everything you have shown, but Wow have you gotten my creative juices flowing again! I especially appreciate that you show real shoes – I am a 56-year-old woman with two careers who wants to look current – not trendy, not "young" and REALLY don't want to look like I am trying too hard. I love good-looking shoes but enough with a $300 shoes with a 4" heel. Just not gonna happen. Nor is orthopedic. So thanks for realistic shoes that look good! This past weekend, instead of shopping for… I don't even know what, something that will go with clothes I already have,I went through my wardrobe and made outfits I had not ever considered before, based on the combos you had shown. Although I don't wear jeans w/holes, there is a jeans vibe I created with straight-legged dark wash that worked really really well. And I love bright colors, and I love scarves and jewelry and I just love you for giving us so many workable ideas!! Thanks again.

I have enjoyed this series a lot. It has broadened my view of the importance of accessories and a simple base. Others may find it tedious, but I don't naturally see these possibilities, so it is quite inspirational to me. Thank you!

I work as an office manager for an agricultural business. While I would not wear jeans with a hole in them to work, I would wear most of these clothes. I appreciate being able to elevate basics with good accessories. Most of my capsule wardrobe is basics. Not fancy clothes at all. It helps those of us who don't dress in a corporate environment to see what can be done with accessories. Thank you!

I've learned from these posts that although I have the basics covered (not necessarily these particular basics), I don't have coordinated sets of accessories. My next step is to inventory and fill in what I need. I do think that buying accessories is somewhat serendipitous, but I also see thar an organized list of what one is looking for would help.

Well done. I would like to see more iterations on this theme. This is a weekend, casual Friday for me. I do see the theme, and building a core accessories wardrobe would be a fun yearly project. If you purchased one piece a month for a year, you would have a nice base for dressing. I haven't found a better blog than this. I will read whatever you post.Karen

I'm not big on hot pink, but that's by the by. I have a question about this idea of focussing on accessories. When I was growing up (which admittedly was a while back) one's shoes and purse needed to match. Then more recently this practice was condemned, labelled 'matchy matchy'. How does this colour theme in one's accessories avoid being 'matchy matchy' or have we seen the pendumlum return? Or do we just not care about what other people say? (I like the best option, personally). Just wondered about your thoughts on this.

I'm going with the last option – I don't care what people think! Some of these sets have been pretty "matchy" – one for example in which I used all jewelry from Kenneth Jay Lane, and all from the same collection. But if it's something you REALLY love, that really has "whappage", then why not? There's no more virtue in deliberately mis-matching things than there is in deliberately matching. What's more important is to reflect yourself in your choices. That's really ALL that matters…

So sorry that you had to endure such an unpolite (to say the least…) comment. You have, above all, a sense of composition, proportion and use of colour that is in itself a true talent. Believe me, I know, I am an Art Teacher…You choose to express your creativity through fashion, composing for us readers, an extraordinary variety of wardrobes that are a delight to look at, and a proof of your endless talent. It does not matter if one uses this or that outfit, that are beautiful to look at! One can never have enough of beautiful things to look at, can we?… 🙂Yours is one of the two only blogs I follow and comment on (being the other a cooking blog), this is to say that quality above quantity is my motto. Please, keep up the good work – and this series is fantastic! Not everyone dresses up everyday – I can tell you how many people around me dress like this – most of them, except with half of the glamour! – guess I should introduce them to your blog! 😉Greetings from Germany – have a nice day!

There really isn't any of the style examples that I CAN wear….BUT what fun changing these ideas and concepts into items I can. I love the variety…and this series is so much fun…I hope it carries on… I look forward to more…I was taught…"If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all"there is no need to be nasty – especially on such a wonderful place as this!hugs

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The Vivienne Files is a unique personal style blog with carefully-selected capsule wardrobes based on color palettes drawn from works of art, nature, and more. It helps women buy less clothing, and to love what they buy. Read more...

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